• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2015

A reduction of motor performance due to brain disorders can be screened by evaluating force tracking capabilities (FTCs). Existing studies have examined FTCs mainly using simple sinusoidal waves, of which repeated profiles have a critical limitation due to a learning effect in force tracking. The present study examined the effects of personal factors (age and gender) and sinusoidal wave factors (central force and complexity) on FTCs of healthy adults using composite sinusoidal wave profiles (CSWPs). FTCs were measured using Finger $Touch^{TM}$ for 30 seconds and quantified in terms of time within the target range (TWR, accuracy measure) and relative RMSE (RRMSE, variability measure). A total of 90 healthy adults in 20s to 70s with the equal gender ratio participated in the experiment consisting of combinations of 2 central force levels (6 N and 10 N) and 2 complexity levels (approximate entropy, ApEn = 0.03 and 0.06) of CSWPs. Significantly decreased FTCs (lower TWR and higher RRMSE) were found in aged adults, females, the low central force, and the high complexity. The detailed FTC decrements include a 43% reduced TWR and a 85% increased RRMSE of older adults in 70s as compared to those in 20s, a 17% reduced TWR and a 17% increased RRMSE of female as compared to those of male, a 30% reduced TWR and a 108% increased RRMSE at central force = 6N when compared to those at central force = 10N, and a 19% reduced TWR and a 30% increased RRMSE at ApEn = 0.06 as compared to those at ApEn = 0.03. The characteristics of FTCs for CSWPs can be of use in establishing an assessment protocol of motor performance for screening brain disorders.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.323-333
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of gait patterns and muscle activations with increased loads during stair walking. Also, it can be used as descriptive data about continuous stair walking in a real life setting. Method : Twelve sedentary young male adults(Age: $27.0{\pm}1.8yrs$, Weight: $65.8{\pm}9.9kg$) without any lower extremity injuries participated in this study. Participants performed stair walking up 7 floors and their ascending and descending motion on each floor was analyzed. A wireless electromyography(EMG) were attached on the Rectus Femoris(RF), Biceps Femoris(BF), Gastrocnemius(GN), Tibialis Anterior(TA) muscle to calculate integrated EMG(iEMG), median frequency(MDF) and co-contraction index(CI). Chest and left heel accelerometer signal were recorded by wireless accelerometer and those were used to calculate approximate entropy(ApEn) for analyzing gait pattern. All analyses were performed with SPSS 21.0 and for repeated measured ANOVA and Post-hoc was LSD. Results : During ascending stairs, there were a statistically significant difference in Walking time between 1-2nd and other floors(p=.000), GN iEMG between 2-3th and 6-7th(p=.043) floor, TA MDF between 1-2nd and 5-6th(p=.030), 6-7th(p=.015) floor and TA/GN CI between 2-3th and 6-7th(p=.038) floor and ApEn between 1-2nd and 6-7th(x: p=.003, y: p=.005, z: p=.006) floor. During descending stairs, there were a statistically significant difference in TA iEMG between the 6-5th and 3-2nd(p=.026) floor, and for the ApEn between the 1-2nd and 6-7th(x: p=.037, y: p=.000, z: p=.000) floor. Conclusion : Subjects showed more regular pattern and muscle activation response caused by regularity during ascending stairs. Regularity during the first part of stair-descending could be a sign of adaptation; however, complexity during the second part could be a strategy to decrease the impact.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.760-763
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• 2007

We studied how linear and nonlinear heart rate dynamics differ between normal fetuses and uncomplicated small-forgestational age (SGA) fetuses, aged 32-40 weeks' gestation. We analyzed each fetal heart rate time series for 20 min and quantified the complexity (nonlinear dynamics) of each fetal heart rate (FHR) time series by approximate entropy (ApEn) and correlation dimension (CD). The linear dynamics were analyzed by canonical correlation analysis (CCA). The ApEn and CD of the uncomplicated SGA fetuses were significantly lower than that of the normal fetuses in all three gestational periods (32-34, 35-37, 38-40 weeks). Canonical correlation ensemble in SGA fetuses is slightly higher than normal ones in all three gestational periods, especially at 35-37 weeks. Irregularity and complexity of the heart rate dynamics of SGA fetuses are lower than that of normal ones. Also, canonical ensemble in SGA fetuses is higher than in normal ones, suggesting that the FHR control system has multiple complex interactions. Along with the clear difference between the two groups' non-linear chaotic dynamics in FHR patterns, we clarified the hidden subtle differences in linearity (e.g. canonical ensemble). The decrease in non-linear dynamics may contribute to the increase in linear dynamics. The present statistical methodology can be readily and routinely utilized in Obstetrics and Gynecologic fields.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2017

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the periodicity of the lower extremity joint flexion/extension angle to compare the local stability between young and elderly women during walking on a treadmill. Method: Eighteen young women (mean $age=21.2{\pm}1.6y$; mean $mass=57.1{\pm}6.1kg$; mean $height=1.61{\pm}0.04m$) and 18 elderly women (mean $age=66.4{\pm}1.2y$; mean $mass=55.4{\pm}8.3kg$; mean $height=1.56{\pm}0.04m$) participated in this study. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was used to determine the periodicity in the lower limb joint angles. Results: The ApEn values of the two groups were statistically greater in the surrogate data test than in the original time series data (p<.05). The periodicity of the hip and ankle flexion/extension angles decreased in the elderly women group compared with the young women group (p<.05). The periodicity of the lower extremity joint flexion/extension angle showed that the ankle joint increased dominatingly in both groups (p<.05); the hip joint decreased compared with the knee joint in the young women group; and the knee joint decreased compared with the hip joint in the elderly women group (p<.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that the lower extremity joint flexion/extension angles of the young and elderly women during walking contained random noises as well as biological signals. In addition, the differences in the periodicity in the lower extremity joint between the young and elderly women may provide some insight in predicting potential falls and be used as a characteristic indicator for determining local stability in elderly women during walking.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.247-254
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• 2019

Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the center of pressure (CoP) complexity pattern in approximate entropy technique between genders at different conditions of running speed. Background: It is conducted to evaluate the complexity pattern of CoP in the increment of running speed to have insights to injury prediction, stability, and auxiliary aids for the foot. Method: Twenty men (age=22.3±1.5 yrs.; height=176.4±5.4 cm; body weight=73.9±8.2 kg) and Twenty women (age=20.8±1.2 yrs.; height=162.8±5.2 cm; body weight=55.0±6.3 kg) with heel strike pattern were recruited for the study. While they were running at 2.22, 3.33, 4.44 m/s speed on a treadmill (instrumented dual belt treadmills, USA) with a force plate, CoP data were collected for the 10 strides. The complexity pattern of the CoP was analyzed using the ApEn technique. Results: The ApEn of the medial-lateral and antero-posterior CoP in the increment of running speed showed significantly difference within genders (p<.05), but there were not statistically significant between genders at all conditions of running speed. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, CoP complexity pattern in the increment of running speed was limited to be characterized between genders as an indicator to judge the potential injury and stability. Application: In future studies, it is needed to investigate the cause of change for complexity of CoP at various running speed related to this study.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2017

Objectives: Domestic violence is related to many psychiatric diseases, such as depression, anxiety disorder, and PTSD. Heart rate variability (HRV) is an index of autonomic control of the heart and is related to cardiovascular and emotional disorders. Although there have been some studies on the effects of domestic violence on women's mental health, relatively little information is available on HRV in this population. The aim of this study is to investigate demographic data, psychological features, and HRV in female victims of domestic violence and difference between Korean and foreign female victims. Methods: A total of 210 female victims of domestic violence (166 Korean women and 44 foreign women) were recruited for this study. Psychological symptoms were measured using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). HRV measures were assessed by time-domain and frequency-domain analyses. Results: The mean score of HAM-A was 13.81, that of HAM-D was 12.92, and that of IES-R was 33.61 ; there were no significant differences between Korean and foreign women in these measures. In HRV time domain analyses, approximate entropy (ApEn) was significantly increased in foreign women compared to the Korean women. The square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD) was significantly decreased in foreign women compared to Korean women. There were no significant differences in the other HRV variables between Korean and foreign women. Conclusion: Female victims of domestic violence in Korea are associated with depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. The physiologic factors of a female victim's nationality could be related to higher ApEn and lower RMSSD in foreign female victims. These findings have important implications for future study to study the relationships among ethnic and environmental factors and HRV variables.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.390-399
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• 2014

Chalcones (1,3-diaryl-2-propen-1-ones), a flavonoid subfamily, are widely known for their anti-inflammatory properties. Propenone moiety in chalcones is known to play an important role in generating biological responses by chalcones. In the present study, we synthesized chalcone derivatives structurally modified in propenone moiety and examined inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production and its potential mechanisms. Among the chalcone derivatives used for this study, TI-I-174 (3-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-1-(thiophen-3-yl)prop-2-en-1-one) most potently inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitrite production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. TI-I-174 treatment also markedly inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. However, TI-I-174 did not significantly affect production of IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ (TNF-${\alpha}$), implying that TI-I-174 inhibits production of inflammatory mediators in a selective manner. Treatment of macrophages with TI-I-174 significantly inhibited transcriptional activity of activator protein-1 (AP-1) as determined by luciferase reporter gene assay, whereas nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) activity was not affected by TI-I-1744. In addition, TI-I-174 significantly inhibited activation of c-Jun-N-Terminal kinase (JNK) without affecting ERK1/2 and p38MAPK, indicating that down-regulation of iNOS gene expression by TI-I-174 is mainly attributed by blockade of JNK/AP-1 activation. We also demonstrated that TI-I-174 treatment led to an increase in heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression both at mRNA and protein level. Transfection of siRNA targeting HO-1 reversed TI-I-174-mediated inhibition of nitrite production. Taken together, these results indicate that TI-I-174 suppresses NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages via induction of HO-1 and blockade of AP-1 activation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.1038-1044
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• 1997

The mode of the combined effect of adipic acid and medium chain monoglycerides was investigated by using nine strain. Though monoglycerides alone had little antibacterial activity against gram negative strains, the combined use with adipic acid showed much higher activity against others of gram positive strains as well as gram negative strains. But exceptionally, it seemed difficult practically to prevent the growth of lactic acid bacteria completely by the combined use of adipic acid and monoglyceride. For yeast and mold, monoglycerides alone had a high activity but adipic acid had a little activity. In antibacterial mechanism, we thought that adipic acid acted on the cell envelope and then monoglyceride acted on the altered cell.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 1999

ALP (alkaline phosphatase) is a membrane-bound metalloenzyme that is expressed in osteoblasts, hepatocytes, lung, kidney, endothelial cells, leukocytes and other cells. Normal soft tissue and skin show little tissue nonspecific ALP (TN-AP), However, scar tissue contains high levels of TN-AP activity, and in fact, TN-AP is expressed intensely in regenerating connective tissue after the wounding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change of ALP expression in hypertrophic scar model in rabbits and the effect of triamcinonolone on ALP expression. Adult male New Zealand white rabbits, weighing about 2.5 kg, were used. After full-thickeness wounding over the ventral surface of each ear, either saline (control ear) or triamcinolone (contralateral ear) was injected on day 16. Rabbits were sacrificed on day 3, 7, 15, 17, 19, 23, and the specimens were retrieved en bloc. Histologic and immunohistochemical examinations of tissue samples were done. The results obtained were as follows: On day 3, ALP reaction was observed on fibroblasts and inflammatory cells in wound margin. On day 7, ALP reaction was more intense than day p in capillaries, inflammtory cells, and fibroblasts behind newly formed epithelium. On day 15, ALP reaction was lessened in both groups and appeared mainly in subepidermal capillary network, Since day 17, ALP reaction was lessened in both groups and weaker in triamcinolone-injected group than in saline-injected group. These results suggest that ALP reaction isn't increased in triamcinolone-injected scar and triamcinolone reduces scar not by increasing TN-AP expression but other mechanism.

• Journal of Information Processing Systems
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.508-521
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• 2020

We compared a novel encoding Lempel-Ziv complexity (ELZC) with three common complexity algorithms i.e., approximate entropy (ApEn), sample entropy (SampEn), and classic Lempel-Ziv complexity (CLZC) so as to determine a satisfied complexity and its corresponding quality indices for assessing quality of multi-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). First, we calculated the aforementioned algorithms on six artificial time series in order to compare their performance in terms of discerning randomness and the inherent irregularity within time series. Then, for analyzing sensitivity of the algorithms to content level of different noises within the ECG, we investigated their change trend in five artificial synthetic noisy ECGs containing different noises at several signal noise ratios. Finally, three quality indices based on the ELZC of the multi-lead ECG were proposed to assess the quality of 862 real 12-lead ECGs from the MIT databases. The results showed the ELZC could discern randomness and the inherent irregularity within six artificial time series, and also reflect content level of different noises within five artificial synthetic ECGs. The results indicated the AUCs of three quality indices of the ELZC had statistical significance (>0.500). The ELZC and its corresponding three indices were more suitable for multi-lead ECG quality assessment than the other three algorithms.